Who cares about crossing party lines when rebuilding in the wake of a disaster like Hurricane Sandy? That's the question Gov. Chris Christie posed yesterday when he accepted the ringing endorsement for his reelection from Democratic Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long. Long, whose town has been visited quite a bit by the governor since Sandy struck and nearly leveled it, called the governor a hero. Democratic leadership called her an opportunist capitalizing on the disaster. Christie called out people putting politics above rebuilding the Jersey Shore with a united front. Hear what the governor had to…
Sunday marks the first anniversary of the storm that pulled trees from their roots, flooded cars, decimated homes and businesses and left thousands without power. After Irene blew through Rumson, Fair Haven and neighboring towns in August 2011, Rumson-Fair Haven Patch was there to cover the hurricane that had been downgraded to a tropical storm. One year later, we're asking you: Does the storm continue to impact you? What changes did you make in and around your home? Did your business, or neighboring businesses survive the wind and flood damage? Add photos of your neighborhood from the storm…
Hurricane Irene would have been the first hurricane to make landfall in New Jersey in more than a century, had it actually been packing hurricane-strength winds at the time. But by the time Irene rolled ashore on the Sea Bright Beachs, its wind speed had already decreased to 69 m.p.h. – a full 5 m.p.h. short of hurricane strength – meaning it was actually just a tropical storm. The new findings were released Dec. 14 by the National Hurricane Center, the latest of equivalent post-mortems the agency has posted on every other storm of the 2011 hurricane season. Every year, the hurricane center …
At the request of the state, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is extending the registration deadline for renters, homeowners and business owners who suffered damage from Hurricane Irene.Those affected by the storm and flooding now have until Nov. 30 to register fordisaster assistance.“We've extended the registration deadline for people who–for whatever reason–have not had the opportunity to register for assistance,” said William L. Vogel, FEMA's federal coordinating officer. “The goal is to ensure all eligible Irene survivors have the chance to seek assistance.”There are three …
A message from the Federal Emergency Management Agency:Families, individuals and businesses in New Jersey that suffered damage fromHurricane Irene have only about 30 days remaining to register for federal assistance.The deadline for registering for assistance with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is Oct. 31, 2011.The deadline to submit loan applications to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is also Oct. 31. SBA loan applications are a key part of the FEMA registration process. If you are a homeowner or renter and SBA determines you cannot afford a loan, you may be …
Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) was brought under scrutiny yesterday at the state Board of Public Utilities Hearing at Monmouth County Library headquarters in Manalapan. JCP&L customers from throughout the area came out to criticize the power company’s job after Hurricane Irene struck New Jersey in late August. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) held the hearing, with a second hearing scheduled for today in Morris Plains, to gather evidence against the company in an attempt to rectify why JCP&L allegedly performed so poorly after the hurricane. Board of Public Utilities …
The Board of Public Utilities will hold a public hearing for Monmouth County residents who were negatively impacted by Hurricane Irene’s destruction. The open forum will take place on Monday, Sept. 26 at the Monmouth County Library headquarters on 125 Symmes Drive in Manalapan, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.County citizens, elected officials, representatives of the power companies, and all other responders during and after Hurricane Irene are encouraged to comment about any concerns they have in regard to the destruction caused by Irene and the response following the storm.A press release issued by …
A press release from Freeholder Thomas A. Arnone that residents impacted by Hurricane Irene should fill out and return their U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) applications.From the release:"Many times, after residents register their loss with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), they might get an application from the SBA," Arnone said. "These applications are not just for businesses or low-interest disaster loans."Typically, people think the loans are only for businesses or they simply do not want to take out a low-interest disaster loan, so they may push the SBA documents …
Governor Chris Christie on Tuesday urged those impacted by Hurricane Irene to seek help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency - and Neptune will serve as FEMA's hub site for New Jersey. Beginning Wednesday, the Joint Field Office in Neptune will serve as the field office for all federal and New Jersey Office of Emergency Management relief efforts throughout the state. "Representatives from the departments will be located here to ensure that we're all working together, officially and effectively, in a coordinated manner to get assistance to folks as quickly as possible," he said. …
The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs is warning residents to beware of shady businesses and vendors showing up in the wake of Hurricane Irene. Neal Buccino, a spokesman with the division, said there already have been 46 reports of price gouging since the storm—on items including bottled water, gasoline and hotel rooms. He said there's been no reports of home repair or charity scams yet. Buccino said his division has investigated 23 of the cases and none had broken the law, but the investigation is continuing, "While they have found some high prices … the cases we've fully investigated …
President Barack Obama has declared Monmouth County a major disaster area. Congressman Frank Pallone, D-6, said he was notified of President Obama's decision on Saturday. Obama also declared Middlesex County a major disaster area. Sixteen New Jersey counties are now eligible for possible relief from FEMA: Atlantic, Bergen, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Passaic, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren. Gov. Chris Christie previously requested assistance for all 21 New Jersey counties, but damage assessments need to be concluded before …
When the forecast calls for a big storm offshore, the surfers head for the waves and the shell collectors, like me, wait in anticipation of what those big waves will bring. This week my crew and I headed out to one of the free beaches in Sea Bright to do a little post-hurricane shelling, the best kind. You never know what you will find washed up on our beaches, a giant oyster or an industrial insulated glove for handling solvents. Either way, it's an adventure. As parents we all like to see our kids follow in our footsteps. Make the football team or join the fire department, whatever it is …
While many school districts around Monmouth County are forced to delay the first day of school due to the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, schools in Rumson and Fair Haven will open on Tuesday, September 6 as scheduled. Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School served as a huddle shelter for those residents displaced during Hurricane Irene. The school survived the storm with no major issues and is ready for the first day. "The school is fine, coming through Irene in great shape," said Superintendent Pete Righi. "We will start as scheduled on the 6th." Board of Education President Colleen O'Connor …
Hurricane Irene has blown through leaving many without power for days. This is not a good situation for anyone to be in but especially hard with young ones. So how do you keep your family fed and your kids entertained without power? I posted the question on Facebook and got these responses from locals: Beth Vandermark Dantoni "We cooked: shepherds pie, pasta, pork shops, mashed potatoes, smores. Played Candy Land and cards, alot of reading, bike riding and talked!"Monica Vigerstol Guarnaccia "We didn't lose power, but neighbors did, so we had two other families over for Chinese food on …
Monmouth County Health Department inspectors have been busy visiting restaurants and grocery stores that lost power or sustained damage during Hurricane Irene, according to Monmouth County Public Health Coordinator Michael Meddis. “I haven’t seen an inspector in two days. They’ve been out constantly,” he said. The department is responsible for assessing conditions at food establishments in 23 Monmouth County towns. The Monmouth Regional Health Department and five municipal health departments in Colts Neck, Freehold Township, Long Branch, Middletown and Manalapan oversee businesses in the rest…
If you experience flooding related to Hurricane Irene, the Monmouth County Health Department recommends taking precautions to keep you and your family safe. Monmouth County experienced significant wave action and 9 to 12 inches of rainfall that contributed to inland and coastal flooding. “Flood waters caused by the hurricane is impacting Monmouth County residents greatly,” Freeholder Deputy Director John P. Curley said. “Flood water can create special challenges with cleanup efforts; so be sure to take the proper precautions to protect yourself and your loved ones.” The Monmouth County Health…
While a majority of Rumson and Fair Haven has had power restored, some homes and businesses are still in the dark. Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) officials have spoken with borough officials and have said they should have power back on by the weekend, but could possibly go to early next week. Outages still reported on the JCP&L website are as follows: Rumson: 226 Fair Haven: 37 Sea Bright: 341 Water and ice are available to all JCP&L customers without power. Residents can pick up water and ice free of charge at Acme Supermarket, 576 River Road in Fair Haven. Customers should go to the …
After Irene swept across the East Coast thousands were left without electricity. Some business owners in Rumson and Fair Haven are thankful for their power; others not so fortunate are starting to feel the pressure. “We are glad to have had power through the whole storm,” said Steve Bidgood, owner of Salt Creek Grill in Rumson. “We got to feed a lot of people who didn’t have power on Sunday and Monday night.” Salt Creek Grill was one of the few businesses in Rumson that maintained power through Irene’s rage. Bidgood opened the doors to his restaurant Sunday night and served about 400 dinners …
A message from Fair Haven Borough sent through their emergency alert system: Borough representatives have been in contact with JCP&L on an ongoing basis; please be advised that crews are working around the clock to restore the power outages. However, if you are still without power, you should be aware that the majority of power is expected to be restored by the weekend with full restoration early next week. Should you still have a downed wire in your immediate area, you must assume that all wires are carrying electricity and you are reminded to keep children and pets away from downed wires. …
The wind was whipping a bit, but all was calm Monday night as people along the banks of the Navesink River settled in for the night after the storm. Electricity outages peppered the area. Yet some lights from homes shone like beacons across the river as the high-tide waters lapped up against docks and the base of guardrails at the foot of the Oceanic Bridge. Shortly after the sunset, some orange light peered from behind the clouds, signaling a bridge into a sunny day today. Check out Patch's small slide show set to music (above).
